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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26382763">Heart Adrift</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_peach_anon/pseuds/That_peach_anon'>That_peach_anon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Moana (2016) Fusion, Water</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:48:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,853</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26382763</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_peach_anon/pseuds/That_peach_anon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the rapidly increasing decay of his island, Patton must venture the sea and return the heart to Virgil with the help of Roman. What awaits him in this trip?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders &amp; Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders &amp; Morality | Patton Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders &amp; Logic | Logan Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders &amp; Morality | Patton Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders &amp; Morality | Patton Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Everybody has a role in this island, so maybe I can roll with mine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to this human's sanders sides' Moana AU! Feel free to bully me if you spot any misspelled words :) And while you're here, why don't you talk to me on Tumblr? I'm @that-peach-anon! I'm always happy to receive requests and get asks, so feel free to come on over and talk to me!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welcome to this human's sanders sides' Moana AU! Feel free to bully me if you spot any misspelled words :) You can request stories in my Tumblr @that-peach-anon</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"In the beginning, there was only ocean until the father island emerged: Virgil. His heart held the greatest power ever known. It could create life itself. And Virgil shared it with the world. But in time, some began to seek Virgil's heart. They believed that if they could possess it, the great power of creation would be theirs. And one day, the most daring of them all voyaged across the vast ocean to take it. He was a Demigod of the wind and sea. He was a warrior. A trickster. A shape shifter who could change form with the power of his magical sword. And his name was Roman.”<br/>
“But without his heart, Virgil began to crumble, giving birth to a terrible darkness. Roman tried to escape, but was confronted by another who sought the heart: Paranoia, a demon of earth and fire. Roman was struck from the sky, never to be seen again. And his magical sword and the heart of Virgil, were lost to the sea. Where even now, 1000 years later, Paranoia and the demons of the deep still hunt for the heart, hiding in the darkness that will continue to spread, chasing away our fish, draining the life from our island until every one of us is devoured by the bloodthirsty jaws of inescapable death!”<br/>
“But one day, the heart will be found by someone who would journey beyond the reef, find Roman, deliver him across the great ocean to restore Virgil's heart and save us all."</p><p>Janus looked up at all the children, having finished his story. Most of them were crying or teary-eyed. The only one that was looking at awe was his grandson, Patton.</p><p>"Alright, Father. That is sufficient." Logan walked into the small hut, picking up his son. </p><p>"Papa!" Patton only giggled happily, blabbing as his dad held him.</p><p>"There is no such thing as monsters and darkness, Father. We're safe on our island." Logan assured all the kids, turning to walk away with Patton when he tripped, hitting one of the beams that held the hut up. With that, all the openings were covered, rolled up drawings of monsters being opened and falling. All the kids screamed, jumping onto Logan and making him fall, letting go of Patton.</p><p>Patton happily rolled away, passing through one of the posters. He started walking away, leaving behind everyone. He started walking through the wildlife, reaching a beach. He walked forward slowly, giggling as the sand's grains slipped through his toes, tickling his feet. When he looked up, he spotted a pink shell in the water. It was considerably spiky and its top had a spiral. It was on the shore, the waves hitting it softly.</p><p>He was about to run forward and grab it when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He turned left to see a small baby turtle trying to leave from under a leafy plant. It was currently stuck, blackbirds surrounding it and beaking whenever it tried to leave. His eyes kept switching from the turtle and shell, deciding which he should go to first. His fear spiked as he looked to see the shell was being dragged away, while the turtle was almost being caught.</p><p>He made up his mind, turning around to face where the birds were, running as quickly as possible to scare them away. They jumped back, squawking and beating their wings. Patton crouched so he could break the leaf at the stem, it serving as a sun umbrella of sorts. He turned the small turtle upright again, slowly walking as to allow the baby to slowly follow under the shade. He occasionally had to shoo away some birds who tried beaking the reptile. </p><p>Eventually, he reached the sea, standing still as the tide slowly pulled the baby in, allowing it to slowly swim out, and disappear into the blue ocean. He let go of the leaf, it gently falling to the ground. His smile widened as he spotted the same shell he saw earlier, except it was underwater and excessively deep for Patton. He tilted his head, trying to think of a way to attain it.</p><p>Surprisingly, the water opened up, leaving the space with the shell dry, with something similar to a water dam. Patton clapped his hands joyfully, giggling as he slowly toddled forward, the wet sand getting stuck on the soles of his feet. He slowly came to a stop, bending over slightly to grab the shell, turning it around in his hands. He looked forward to see another shell deeper in the ocean. His brows creased, his hands moving to hold the shell against his chest with one hand, the other extending to make a grabby motion.<br/>
The ocean seemed to understand, parting even further to allow Patton to carry on. Patton cooed happily, walking slowly to not drop the shell. Instead of stopping, the Ocean continued parting, making a path through where Patton could walk. The baby continued forward, grabbing the shells that laid down on the ground. With Patton looking forward, he did not notice the movement around him. His surroundings were filled with marine flora and fauna. Small dark blue surgeon fishes swam in big schools around the pillar corals and tube corals. Some dories were swimming over table corals, swimming away scared as a large sand shark passed by passively, not paying any attention to Patton. One large Sunfish passed to his right, swimming through sea pens. Schools of fish swam past, circling the varying types of corals, the bright colors contrasting each other. The ocean by now would be deep enough to reach about 40 feet.<br/>
To Patton’s left a sea turtle passed by, a smaller sea turtle following it and flapping its flipper, similar to a wave. Patton only noticed this, giggling at it and trying to wave back while still holding the shells. His laughter continued, almost silently, until the ocean moved. A large wave that lead to a rounded point lifted up, curving over in Patton’s direction, staying suspended in the air.<br/>
Confused, Patton tilted his head at the wave, the water mimicking the movement. It then slowly lowered, staying a bit above his height. Curious, Patton outstretched one of his hands upwards, touching the end and causing water to fall on top of him. He laughed at the seawater, dropping all of his shells.<br/>
The Ocean, seeming delighted, lowered and encased Patton’s hair, swiftly moving up in one motion, lifting his hair and leaving it wet in the shape of the start of a water drop. The flower tucked behind his ear was lifted, the stem getting stuck inside of the hair, the actual flower now hanging from the top of his daring hairstyle. His eyes narrowed a bit, trying to clear his vision enough for him to be able to identify the small object floating to his direction. When it was close enough for grasping, Patton extended his small hand, catching the small glowing rock in it. It was green and had a spiral carved into it. It reacted to Patton, pulsing at the same time his heart beat. A faint screaming was then heard from the distance.<br/>
“Patton!” Came his father’s voice from his village’s direction, the wave snapping its form at the sound’s direction. It quickly dropped water on Patton’s head, collecting all the water that stuck to the child’s head. The flower, which fell off his head, was tucked behind his ear by the liquid. A piece of wood bark was brought, scooping Patton up and slowly letting him drift to the land. As soon as he was ashore, the water raised the bark, urging him to stand up. He did so, almost falling down, which caused him to drop the stone. He started looking around for it, the water sweeping it away as soon as Logan passed through the foliage.<br/>
“There you are, Patton. Let’s go.” His father walked forward, letting out a breath as he realized his son was not hurt. He bent over and picked up the child, holding him against his chest. “You startled me. Do not repeat this small “adventure.””<br/>
“I wann’s go back!” Patton complained, stretching his hands over his father’s shoulders, as if that was going to make any difference. They both arrived at the edge of the village, Patton’s grandfather, Janus, now walking besides them.<br/>
“No one leaves the reef, Patton. You are no exception.” Logan muttered, bouncing him slightly. Janus perked up at that, turning over to both.<br/>
“You know what always convinces him?” Janus asked, moving to grab Patton in his own arms, cooing at him while gently swaying both of them. “A song always helped me convince him.” Janus’ eyes we are set on Logan, a barely suppressed smirk on his face.<br/>
“I will not sing. That is simply preposterous.” Logan argued back, crossing his arms and looking away.<br/>
“Oh, come on! Do not be such a killjoy! Here, I will start!” Janus said, placing Patton on the ground.<br/>
“Patton! Make way, make way!<br/>
Patton it’s time you knew<br/>
The village of Motunui is all you need!<br/>
The dancers are practicing<br/>
They dance to an ancient song-“ He pointed over to a group of men, stopping their dancing to answer the old man.<br/>
“Who needs a new song?<br/>
This old one’s all we need!”<br/>
Janus pointed at Logan, giving him a sly smirk. “Come on!” Logan scowled, but sung nonetheless.<br/>
“This tradition is our mission<br/>
And, Patton, there’s so much to do<br/>
Make way!<br/>
Don’t trip on the taro root<br/>
That’s all you need.<br/>
We share everything we make!<br/>
We joke and we weave our baskets!<br/>
The fishermen come back from the sea!” Logan looked around to see how Patton was reacting, only to notice Patton had run back to the shore they just came from.<br/>
“I wanna see!” Patton sung surprisingly well for a child.<br/>
“Don’t walk away.” He grabbed Patton by the armpits, taking him back to the village.<br/>
“Patton stay on the ground now<br/>
Our people will need a chief and there you are.” Logan harmonized.<br/>
Both adults then started humming, their voices perfectly complementary of each other.<br/>
“There comes a day<br/>
When you’re gonna look around<br/>
And realize happiness is where you are!”<br/>
Logan then took over.<br/>
“Consider the coconut<br/>
Consider its tree<br/>
We use each part of the coconut<br/>
That’s all we need.”<br/>
Janus then interrupted Logan, lifting a fiber basket filled with coconuts.<br/>
“We make our nets from the fibers<br/>
The water is sweet inside”<br/>
At this, Patton took a coconut and started gulping its contents down.<br/>
“We use the leaves to build fires<br/>
We cook up the meat inside.”<br/>
“Consider the coconuts<br/>
The trunks and the leaves.<br/>
The islands gives us what we needs!”<br/>
“And no one leaves…” Patton sang quietly, turning his head away from the path to shore.<br/>
“That’s right. We stay<br/>
We’re safe and we’re well provided<br/>
And when we look to the future<br/>
There you are.<br/>
You’ll be okay<br/>
In time you’ll learn just as I did.” Logan sang alone, straightening his back even more.<br/>
“You must find happiness right where you are.” Both adults finished, except Janus had a sad expression as he stared at his son.</p><p>A, now teenager, Patton stood next to his grandfather, observing as he moved his arms around in a dance, similar to the movement of waves. They we’re both in a flat rock that protruded from the ground to create a platform on the water.<br/>
“I like to dance with the water<br/>
The undertow and the waves<br/>
The water is mischievous, ha!” Janus bent over the rock and flicked his hand on the water, throwing the liquid at Patton, causing him to laugh.<br/>
“I like how it misbehaves<br/>
The village may think I’m crazy<br/>
Or say that I drift too far<br/>
But once you know what you like<br/>
Well, there you are.” He stopped dancing turning over to address his grandson. He slowly lifted his hands to cup Patton’s cheek, smiling.<br/>
“You are your father’s son<br/>
Stubbornness and pride<br/>
Mind what he says but remember<br/>
You may hear a voice inside.” He touched their foreheads together, his smile softening as he closed his eyes.<br/>
“And if that voice starts to whisper<br/>
To follow the farthest star<br/>
Patton, that voice inside is who you are.” He drawled on, letting go of Patton’s face so he could get back to dancing.</p><p>An adult Patton stood at the entrance of his village, beaming brightly at his community as the people walked through, going on their normal lives. His best friend Valerie stood next to him, smiling as she just enjoyed his presence. She smiled and linked arms with him, pulling him forward towards the small gathering of people collecting coconuts.<br/>
“We make our nets from the fibers!” She started singing, turning over to Patton who simply smiled and sang along.<br/>
“The water’s sweet inside<br/>
We use the leaves to build fires<br/>
To cook up the meat inside.” They both finished, startling as Chief Logan’s voice rang out from behind them, just as harmonic as years prior.<br/>
“The village believes in us.<br/>
The village believes.” This time he dragged the note out.<br/>
“The island gives us what we needs.”<br/>
This time, Patton started singing all by himself, the words practically engrained in his memory.<br/>
“And no one leaves!<br/>
So here I’ll stay!<br/>
My home, my people beside me<br/>
And when I think of tomorrow<br/>
There we are!<br/>
I’ll lead the way<br/>
I’ll have my people to guide me<br/>
We’ll build our future together!”<br/>
Logan and Valerie joined in, one much more excited than the other.<br/>
“Where we are!<br/>
Cause every path leads you back to where you are<br/>
You can find happiness right where you are!” They all finished, Logan rolling his eyes at the antics.<br/>
“I still cannot believe you two went through so much trouble to memorize this song and teach it to me and Janus.” Logan commented humorously, shaking his head at his son.<br/>
“Well, it was pretty fun! And besides, at least I learned what you wanted me to!” Patton answered back happily, looking for his father’s approval.<br/>
“If you say so, Patton. I must be off, your grandfather requests me.” And with that, Logan left both adults, walking off to the opposite direction. As soon as he was out of earshot, Patton let out a disappointed sigh, his shoulders sagging and smile falling.<br/>
“Maybe next time, Pat. He’ll come around soon enough.” Valerie comforted him, rubbing his back in even circular motions.<br/>
“Yeah, sure.” He replied, standing back up straight again and plastering on a smile. “I’ll just be off, then. See ya!” He waved happily.<br/>
He walked through the village, weaving through the people that passed by with baskets filled with coconuts and meat, from either fishes or pork. Perched on his shoulder was his companion, a frog, Lily Padton, a name sweetly bestowed by his grandpa. They sat calmly on his shoulder, croaking happily, as Patton’s steps bounced them the slightest bit. Janus had given them as a gift to Patton after he demonstrated an interest in the amphibians. He also said it represented Patton’s spirit, whatever that meant. The walking stopped as Patton noticed a small child struggling to carry a pile of coconuts.<br/>
“Whoa there, Little One! Watch out!” He swiftly grabbed the two coconuts that were about to fall, catching one in each hand. The child looked up and smiled gratefully at Patton, who simply smiled back and helped rearrange the fruits. The small boy then took off, seemingly to catch up with his parents. Both Patton and Padton continued forward, a prep on their step now. As they were passing, a voice called out to Pat.<br/>
He looked over to see one of the older residents sat behind a fireplace. They seemed to be cooking something, using a rudimentary pair of pliers to grab the hot food. “Come here, Patton! I want you to try something for me!” They shouted, beckoning him over. He slowly approached, being sure not to get too close to the fire, in fear of hurting either himself or Padton.<br/>
“How can I help you, Nikora?” He asked, observing as they grabbed a bowl behind them, raising it as an offer.<br/>
“Try this for me, would you? I’ve been cooking some new meat and I need someone to tell me if it’s good.” They answered, shrugging. Patton slowly moved forward, grabbing a piece of meat to taste. He put it in his mouth, chewing unhurriedly as to really savor the meat.<br/>
“Hum, that’s good! What is it?” He questioned, trying to look at what was currently raw.<br/>
“It’s frog.” They answered calmly, going back to their prior activity. Patton’s eyes immediately widened, his neck probably cracking from how fast he turned to look at his animal. The frog had stopped croaking, simply staring forward as if to avoid Patton’s gaze.<br/>
“I- I didn’t- What I meant was- I should-“He started stammering, the creature not even reacting to anything he said. “I should probably go.” Was all he was able to muster, turning around tensely and getting back on his path, highly aware of the weight settled on his shoulder.<br/>
They walked for a few more minutes, the awkwardness keeping Patton quiet. Padton wasn’t much better, not giving any signs that he was still alive. They eventually reached the end, coming to the other side of the island, a beach where the fishing occurred. On the beach was Logan and Janus, both talking to a man with a basket under his arm, an open coconut on his hand. From what Patton could see, the coconut was completely black on the inside, looking rotten and unpleasant. He slowly approached, trying not to interrupt the conversation. That plan seemed to fail, Janus perking up at the sight of his grandson.<br/>
“Patty-cakes! There you are!” He cut the man off making both Logan and the person, Tama, turn to look at him. “Hello to you too, Padton!”<br/>
“Hey there, gramps!” He waved back, almost instantly pulled into a hug.<br/>
“How are you, dear? I haven’t seen you all day!”<br/>
“I’m fine, grand pops! I was just looking for you.” Patton let go of the hug, smiling brightly at the sight of his grandpa’s wrinkled face.<br/>
“How come? I was here all along!” Janus answered, frowning at how Patton seemed tense.<br/>
“Enough chit-chat, you two. There is an important matter we are discussing here, Patton. If all you came to do was converse, I’m sure you can do that with someone else.” Logan cut in, crossing his arms and staring at Patton.<br/>
“No, Father. I’m sorry, Father.” Patton mumbled meekly, looking down at his feet.<br/>
Logan let out a sigh as he observed his son, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Back to front, continue what you were saying, Tama.”<br/>
“Yes, chief.” Tama complied. “We have tried fishing, but the traps have been empty. Not a single fish in sight.”<br/>
“Have you tried the south?” Patton spoke up.<br/>
“We did. The South, the North, the East and the West. We even tried the lagoons, rivers, the shallows and the channel. Nothing.” He answered, showing the inside of the empty trap to Patton. “The fish have disappeared. We don’t know what’s causing it.”<br/>
He pulled one of the open blackened coconuts, extending it to Pat. “The coconuts have also become begrimed; they are basically rotten before we harvest them. We don’t know what to do. Without fish and coconuts, we basically lack the basic resources for survival.”<br/>
“Thank you for the report, Tama. I’ll take it to the council and we’ll-“ Logan started before being cut off by Patton.<br/>
“What is we fish beyond the reef?”<br/>
All adults stayed in silence, Logan slowly turning to stare at his son. “No.” He said simply.<br/>
“Wha- Why not?” Patton exclaimed exasperatedly.<br/>
“No one goes beyond the reef, Patton. I already told you.” Logan turned around and slowly started stomping away.<br/>
“Why not?” Patton asked. “We have no fish in the lagoon. This is our only choice.”<br/>
“Deary.” Janus spoke up quietly, placing a hand on Patton’s shoulder.<br/>
“Don’t ‘deary’ me, Janus! I have lived almost 17 years having to hear from my only surviving parent that I can’t go beyond the reef! Dad always said that one day I’d get the chance to pass the reef!” Patton’s outburst makes Logan freeze, his fists clenching.<br/>
“Don’t you dare use your dad’s title as a way to justify your stupid actions!” Logan seethed, barking out each word. “Your dad was a wonderful man, and you can only hope to be half as amazing as him! I have put up with your silliness for years without saying anything, hoping you would come to your senses. Clearly, you will continue to act like a child, and I will not stand by and let you live your life like it’s all rainbows and butterflies. As long as you act like this, I will not consider you my offspring. When you decide to, finally, give up that thoughtless desire, I will gladly have you back as my descendant. With that said, I hereby disown you as my son. Good day.” With that said, he turned around, leaving behind a shocked Janus, and crying Patton.<br/>
As soon as he disappeared from sight, Patton turned around and hugged his grandfathers, sobbing into his bare shoulder. “Oh, Starlight. I am so sorry.” His grandpa only stood there, rubbing his back as he wept. “You know he doesn’t mean it. He’s only trying to keep you safe.”<br/>
“How does disowning me keep me safe?” Patton was able to choke out between sobs.<br/>
“That little speech he gave doesn’t mean anything.” He was rubbing circle onto Pat’s back, resting his head on top of Patton’s. “He only said that because of what happened to your dad.”<br/>
“Grandpa?” Janus hummed in answer. “What happened with dad?”<br/>
Janus tensed, his hand stilling. “What happened to your… dad?” He repeated, his eyes filling with tears.<br/>
“I- Yeah?” The way Patton phrased it made it sound like a question.<br/>
“Um. When you were 2, your dad asked your father to go beyond the reef.”<br/>
Images of Logan leading a person to a boat flashed through Janus’ mind. His memories had blocked out the person’s face. The person climbed into a boat, turning around to wave at Janus. He waved back, a baby Patton held in his arms as Logan started pushing the boat, jumping in as soon as the water dragged away the boat.<br/>
“Your father was way too soft. He could never say no.” A sad chuckle came out of Janus. Patton tried to pull away from the hug to look at his grandfather, but Janus’ grip held him in place.<br/>
“Grandpa?” Patton asked.<br/>
“So both your parents took a boat and went to the sea, ready to finally pass the reef.” Janus continued, small tears starting to drip from Janus’ face.<br/>
Janus watched as the two disappeared into the sea, slowly becoming smaller as they drifted through the waves. The small dot started disappearing, getting lost in the blue. His eyes widened as a large wave hit where the dot was last seen, quiet shouts coming from the far end of the reef.<br/>
“And let’s just say that the reef didn’t like that. The tides are as unforgiving as the gods.” He tried to laugh it off, but all that came out was a sob.<br/>
The boat turned over, throwing both Logan and the person underwater. Logan started swimming up, trying to fight the current. He looked around trying to find his companion. The sea was empty, waves still lapping far away and carrying the boat.<br/>
“Your father came back alone that day.” Janus’ voice was quiet, hugging Patton tightly as he silently cried. “After that, he swore to never let anyone go past the reef. He couldn’t save your father and now he’s scared he won’t save you.”<br/>
Both men stayed silent, Patton slowly processing what he’d been told. He doesn’t remember his dad, he was way too young to form any solid memories. Obviously, it seemed his grandfather and only living parent were very attached to his dad. It never bothered him, seeing, as his dad had no sentimental value to him. Don’t get him wrong, he loved both his parents, but the actual love he felt for his father was not reflected in his dad. Logan had been the one to tell all the stories he knew.<br/>
“Sorry for asking, Grandpa.” Patton whispered after a moment.<br/>
“It’s fine, Star. Now come on, I have something I want to show you.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. When will my life begin?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Feel free to bully me if you spot any misspelled words :) And while you're here, why don't you talk to me on Tumblr? I'm @that-peach-anon! I'm always happy to receive requests and get asks, so feel free to come on over and talk to me!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Janus slowly paced, Patton following on his side silently. The only noise came from Janus’ cane hitting the ground, releasing a muffled sound due to the contact of wood with dirt. A sad silence filled the walk, the remains of their previous conversation still floating on the air. Eventually, both Patton and Janus started going up a mountain, ascending through a spiral carved on the hill’s side. Patton was wondering what his grandfather wanted to show him. He had never climbed this mountain, being assured that he would be able to once he turned into the village’s chief, but that wasn’t going as planned, so he supposed there was no harm on disobeying another one of his father’s rule.<br/>“Why are we doing this exactly?” Patton asked, watching his grandfather from the corner of his eye. Due to the fact he wears glasses, his grandpa was blurry, but Patton paid it no mind.<br/>“You’ll find everything out in due time.” The elder answered, smiling as both reached the top of the mountain. The top was flat, in the shape of a circle, a pile of flat rocks in its center.<br/>“What is that?” Patton spoke, walking closer, his hand extended to touch the tall pile. All of the rocks were covered with moss in varying levels. The rocks on the bottom could no longer be distinguished from each other, the moss creating an amalgamate of plants. The rocks on the top were more uncovered, revealing a coarse texture that felt like sandpaper to Patton. If he pushed a little harder the rocks would most definitely cut his palms, but he gave up that thought, seeing how annoying it would be to have to deal with all the small cuts. <br/>“This is a sacred place, Patton. This is where all chiefs place a stone when the time is right.” Janus was now standing next to Patton, his hand flat on top of the pile. “One day, you will place a stone on the pile, like your father did. Same as me. And my father.” The pile had about 12 stones, meaning there were 12 generations before Patton and his family.<br/>“You mean like I would have placed a stone.” He spoke sadly, staring at his finger as he grazed it over his father’s stone. With the little trick he pulled, he was sure his fathe- Logan, would never allow him to actually become chief. “Not with the little spiel Father gave some time ago.” As he spoke, he gradually increased the pressure on his finger, the force slowly webbing away at his skin until-<br/>“Ouch!” He gave out a small shout as the rock’s jagged surface sliced into his digit, making a small cut, similar to that of a paper. His grandfather was looking sadly at him, unfocused as he thought back to the little fabrication Logan gave about Patton not being his son. Surely, he raised Logan better than that, didn’t he?<br/>“You know your father didn’t actually mean what he said, right?” The question came out of nowhere, startling Patton who had his finger in his mouth.<br/>“Sure he didn’t. Because it’s not like this is just another time that I disappointed him, just like every other time I did something to try and make him proud. Because he loves me so much, right? I mean, every time I see him, he always seems so proud of me! It’s always the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of him.” Patton’s voice was practically dripping with poison, making Janus’ eyebrows furrow in concern. Since Patton had his back to him, Janus was not able to spot the tears blooming in Patton’s eyes.<br/>“Patton-“ Janus started before being interrupted by Patton hugging him.<br/>“Well, thanks for that talk, gramps. I’ll keep what you said in mind!” Patton spoke quickly, letting go of the elder to turn around and start his fast descend of the mountain. “Bye!”<br/>“But I didn’t-“ Before Janus could finish his thought, Patton had already disappeared. “say anything.” He let out a sigh. How was he supposed to help his family make up if they both kept evading the issue? He’d just have to figure that out later.<br/>On the other hand, Patton was quickly walking down the mountain, rubbing at his eyes to stop the tears from falling. He knew his grandfather was trying to help, but he wasn’t in the mood to talk about what his father thinks of him. He just wanted to spend time with his grandfather, but if that time was spent talking about his insecurities, then he’d rather spend it alone. He was almost losing himself to his thoughts when a loud croak came from his shoulder. He jumped as he realized Padton was still sitting on his shoulder, feeling like a grounding presence.<br/>Patton slowed down as he realized he was arriving at the isolated part of the beach. It was empty, the only noise being that of the waves hitting the shore. “It isn’t fair, Padton. It really isn’t.” Patton muttered, softly grabbing the amphibian in his hand. “I just want to go to the sea! Why is that so bad?” The frog only stared at the human, unblinking. “If Logan listened to me, nothing would have gone wrong!” He yelled, scaring Padton who jumped from Patton’s hands back to his shoulder.<br/>Pat took a deep breath, staring out at the ocean, watching the large waves break out on the sea. “I've been standing at the edge of the water, 'long as I can remember, never really knowing why. I wish I could be the perfect son to my father. But I come back to the water, no matter how hard I try.” He sang, wistfully observing the water. He was so tired of feeling worthless due to his father. He wasn’t sure he would ever make his parent proud.<br/>“Every turn I take, every trail I track, every path I make, every road leads back, to the place I know, where I can not go, though I long to be.” He clutched his hands over his chest, bending over as tears trail down his face.<br/>“See the line where the sky meets the sea it calls me!” He extended his hand towards the horizon, smiling a bit at the thought of going there. “And no one knows, how far it goes. If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me.” He then reached his arms to his side, feeling the breeze blow against his face. “One day I'll know, if I go there's just no telling how far I'll go.”<br/>He turned around to walk back towards his village, the steps feeling heavy, making it hard for him to actually walking. “I know, everybody on this island seems so happy on this island, everything is by design. I know, everybody on this island has a role on this island. So maybe I can roll with mine.” He looked up at the cliff his grandfather had taken him to. He could still see the vague shape of the rocks, sitting there, taunting him.<br/>“I can lead with pride, I can make us strong. I'll be satisfied if I play along.” He assured himself, nodding as he slowly dragged his feet on the ground, feeling like the wind was pushing against him. “But the voice inside sings a different song. What is wrong with me?” His question was rethorical, his hands clutching his hair as he felt conflicted. He just needed to accept he wasn’t supposed to go to the ocean, so why couldn’t he?<br/>He turned back around, not being able to stop himself from looking at the sea. “See the light as it shines on the sea it's blinding!” He dragged the note out. “But no one knows, how deep it goes!” He spotted an abandoned boat in the shore, seemingly a small fishing boat. “And it seems like it's calling out to me, so come find me. And let me know, what's beyond that line, will I cross that line?” He ran towards the boat, the frog on his shoulder jumping off, landing on the soft sand. Patton didn’t seem to notice.<br/>“See the line where the sky meets the sea it calls me. And no one knows, how far it goes!” He started pushing the boat into the sea, slowly getting easier as the waves pulled the vessel in. He jumped onto the boat, grabbing the ship’s oar as soon as possible. “If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me! One day I'll know, how far I'll go!” As soon as he finished, a particularly strong wave hit the boat, making Patton stumble forward.<br/>He let out a small “oof” before righting himself back up. “One ticket to pass the reef, please.” He joked humorlessly, using all his upper arm strength to row. If his father wasn’t going to take him past the reef, then he’d pass himself. The rowing was relatively easy, the water still pliant to Patton’s wants. Eventually, Patton reached the reef, the waves slowly hitting his boat as he rowed forward, using even more of his strength. His boat hitched up with the water, passing the small, undefined border that separated his small part of the sea from the rest. <br/>“That wasn’t that bad!” He chirped, immediately regretting his words as the sea started churning more violently, rocking his boat harshly, which was barely avoiding flipping over. He started rowing, trying to escape the vicious waters. His efforts were deemed useless as a particularly strong wave hit the side of the boat, flipping it over and throwing Patton into the current.<br/>He had to resist the urge to gasp, as to not breath in any of the salty liquid. It ached against his eyes, making them tear up in a hopeless effort to wash the salt from his eyes. He could feel a sting on his finger, seemingly from the cut he’d made earlier on the rock. The rock. His father’s rock. Wait, his father. His father was right, he shouldn’t have gone past the reef, and now, thanks to his idiotic choice, he was stuck in the current. This couldn’t get any worse.<br/>He regretted the thought as soon as it passed his mind, a particularly powerful wave pushing him toward the bottom of the sea, pushing his foot into the crevice of a coral, it instantly getting stuck, a bruise immediately blooming on his foot, making it bright red. He bent over, grasping at his lower leg as he pulled, the waves overhead churning the water below, which made Patton constantly get pushed. This was it, he thought, the tears of pain now also coming out in frustration. If he had only listened to his father, he’d be on land, placing a stupid rock, on a stupid pile, instead of stupidly drowning in a stupid sea, stupid, stupid, stupid-<br/>His eyes widened as the coral piece broke, releasing his foot and allowing him to propel himself upwards, gasping as soon as he broke through to the surface, a wide smile spreading on his face as he actually realized what happened. He survived. He survived! He was so sure he was going to die, he couldn’t help but let out a happy yell, joyful tears streaming down his face as he slowly paddled forward trying to reach his flipped boat. He was barely able to catch his breath, glad laughs escaping his lips as he mentally celebrated the fact he was alive.<br/>He eventually reached his boat, turning it over before grabbing the oar and throwing it and himself inside of the boat. He was soaked to the bone, but he couldn’t help his fruitless attempt to dry his eyes. He was glad he was alive, but he now had the predicament of explaining why he was sopping wet when he returned to the village. Distracted, he started rowing towards the shore, missing the person stood watching him from behind the foliage.<br/>After some time of rowing and contemplating, Patton arrived at the seashore, the shell of the boat digging into the sand, serving as a weak anchor, allowing the human to safely jump out of the vessel. He almost instantly hissed in pain, looking down to see his foot had a bright red spot on the ankle, which was extremely painful. He jumped when he realized that next to his feet was sitting Padton, its tongue darting out to lick its unblinking eye.<br/>“Padton!”He yelled out, bending down to scoop up the frog, ignoring the ache in his feet. From the side of his eye, he noticed the bushes rustling, a wooden cane coming out shortly followed by a pair of wrinkled feet. “Grandpa!” He turned around quickly, the amphibian contained in his scoop-shaped hands. The elder only looked around, spotting broken pieces of boat and wood on the sand.<br/>“Whatever happened here, blame it on the frog.” He joked, observing as Patton hid one of his feet behind the other. He outstretched his staff, using the circular end to grab Patton’s lower leg, pulling it close to his face so he could properly see the bruise.<br/>“That isn’t- I wasn’t-“ Patton cursed his stuttering, his grandpa only looking up at him through his lashes. “You’re not gonna tell Father, are you?”<br/>“I’m his dad, I don’t have to tell him anything.” Janus answered, shrugging his shoulders as he let Patton’s leg go, straightening his back as much as his age would allow.<br/>“He was right, you know?” Patton looked back at the ocean with a twinge of fear in his eyes. “I’m just going to admit to him I was wrong and put my stone in the pile.”<br/>“Okay.” Came his grandfather’s nonchalant response. The elder had walked until he reach the water, standing still as an abundance of sea serpents came slithering from the deep, slowly circling him as a few climbed up his leg.<br/>“Okay?” Patton echoed, staring at the older man.<br/>“When I die, I’m coming back as one of these.” He slowly started dancing, humming a quiet tune as the reptiles and him moved in synchrony, similar to a choreography. “Either that or I chose the wrong tattoo.” He was talking about the double-headed snake tattoo circling his forearm, the only splash of color being its vibrant yellow eyes.<br/>“Well, I’m going then.” He turned around and was about to take a step when he froze in place. His grandpa was definitely keeping something from him, wasn’t he? “Is there something you want to tell me?”<br/>“Is there something you want to hear?” Janus answered back with a question.<br/>Both men now walked side by side, one of them grinning while the other chewed on his thumbnail, slowly chipping away at it. The younger one almost bumped into the eldest when the latter stopped, facing a wall composed of small rocks, the only thing revealing that it covered an opening were the small gaps between the pebbles. What could be hidden behind such a wall?<br/>“Your father told all the stories except for one.” Janus chuckled as he used the flat end of his cane to push against one of the rocks, the whole wall crumbling easily. “Go ahead. Explore it, learn your past and bang the drums.”<br/>Patton looked back at his grandfather with a confused stare, slowly stalking forward into the cavern, his steps echoing against the rocky walls. It was dark, the only light coming from the entrance he came in from just moments ago. What was this place and what could even be in here? Entering the cave more, his eyes widened, the whole cavern being illuminated by the light streaming in through a waterfall in front of him. The light revealed a massive amount of boats, the largest one being off to the side, practically stuck to the wall. He slowly brushed his hand over the wall, admiring the drawings that made up the patterns. They seemed to be telling a story of some sorts.<br/>Firstly, it told about a group of people, all of them living happily in a community. The next part told of how they wished to explore the world, so they created boats and climbed atop of them to sail through the sea. The third part told of how the people had to retreat as a darkness spread over the islands, traveling through the water and making it so boats who sailed past the reef never returned. The last portion of the story told about how to make sure everyone was safe, the village prohibited sailing past the reef, being now stuck in this island.<br/>Observing more closely, Patton realized how all the drawings of boats matched one of the boats in the cave, down to the shape of the shell. His feet unknowingly guided him towards a boat, his body betraying him as he slowly climbed the vessel, his eyes scanning over the symbol on the sail. He came to a halt as he realized he was standing before a large drum, a pair of wooden sticks resting on top of it. He remembered what his grandpa said: Learn your past and bang the drums. <br/>The sticks felt heavy on his grip, the wood hard and sturdy, the batons falling back instantly onto the wooden drums and producing a loud sound that reverberated against the cave walls. The torches around the human lit up, a bright fire burning and adding to the glow of the setting sun. <br/>The drawings started coming alive, rudimentary little moving pictures passing in front of Patton’s eyes, his gaze following as small people floated in antique boats, the air acting similar to the water. The miniature drawing of islands became three dimensional, a minuscule village, plants, and animals appearing, matching the boats and people who were found in them. The water then started letting out a black fog, the cloud turning into tendrils that latched onto the boats, dragging them into the fog and dissipating them, dust slowly falling to the ground as the fog grew. The boats then stopped showing up, the small village growing in volume of people, eventually, no boats appearing in the air.<br/>This was the story of his people, except it was told through simply mesmerizing magic. The fog only increasing and reaching closer and closer to the small islands. Horrified at the thought of what all of that meant, Patton threw one of the drum’s stick, it passing through the pictures, dissolving them, and making the fog disperse. Although the implications of the story left Patton shaken up, he was still ecstatic to learn about the rest. His ancestors were voyagers, for crying out loud! They were just like him and that made a warm feeling blossom in his chest, something akin to eating s’mores right after they were toasted over a campfire. The marshmallow lightly burnt and the chocolate melted but still solid enough to give texture, all of that topped by the crunch of both crackers, one on the bottom and the other on top. With such overwhelming bliss, tears started leaking from his tear ducts, a shaky smile gracing his face.<br/>He turned on his heel and ran, jumping off the boat and heading straight(ha) towards the exit. As soon as he came out, he turned to his right and fiercely hugged his grandfather, Janus only bringing one hand up to pat his back while the other clutched his staff. “You’ll suffocate me if you hug any tighter, kid.” Janus joked, feeling his already weak ribs start to ache.<br/>“Oh, sorry, Gramps!” He let go of the elder to stare at his face, his cheeks wet with the salty liquid released by his eyes. “We were voyagers! We were voyagers!” He laughed out, raising his hand to dry his tears, the pure mirth still bubbling around in his chest. His smile quickly fell as so did the joyful feeling, sinking to the bottom of his stomach. “Wait, why did we stop voyaging?”<br/>“The boats that went never came back. This was the safest choice the leader could think of.” Janus answered grimly, raising his free hand to hold his necklace, his thumb brushing over the detailed metal. “Eventually, this part of our history was erased. But everything will change once the chosen one sails beyond the reef, finds Roman, and delivers the heart of Virgil back to where it belongs.”<br/>Just then, a large wave started raising from the ocean, its edge rounded, similar to a tongue. Wait, Patton remembered this. “And it already chose you.” His grandfather pushed him forward a bit, motioning him towards the sea, the water moving forwards as if mimicking his actions. It then slowly lowered, Patton outstretching a hand to it, which made the liquid reacting positively, lowering until it touched his palm, a small glowing rock slowly ascending the wave, eventually falling on Patton’s hand. It started reacting to the boy, seemingly pulsing at the same time Patton’s heart did.<br/>“I thought this was a dream!” He looked over at Janus who only somberly shook his head, motioning to an end of the island close by, and hidden only by leaves. On the sand, there were black tendrils, similar to the ones Patton saw in the small moving pictures inside the cave. The thought of what happened to the drawing happening in real life made him sick, his stomach churning uncomfortably.<br/>“I was there when they chose you.” Patton made a mental note to stop calling the ocean it and start using they/them pronouns. “They want you to find Roman and deliver him across the sea to Virgil. He lies at the bottom of his sword.” He raised his staff to point to an upside-down sword-shaped constellation on the sky, the pointed edge pointing to somewhere in the sea.<br/>“But I don’t know how to sail!” Patton stressed, gripping the heart tightly in his hand as he looked down at it. “I don’t think anyone in the village knows how to!”<br/>His grandfather only gave him a small smile, turning his head to look at the village, his gaze directed towards a large hut where the villagers were currently in a community meeting. “I know a guy.” He turned back to his grandson to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “But I’m not too sure he’ll be too willing.”<br/>The gears slowly started turning in Patton’s head, his mind needing a bit of time to catch up before realization hit him. He gasped. “Father.” It came out as barely a whisper, his palms, and back of neck feeling sweaty.<br/>That was how he found himself running towards the village, the heart pulsing even faster as did Patton’s actual heart. He wasn’t sure if the accelerated beating came from sprinting or from the thought of talking to his only living parent after this morning’s blow-up. He wasn’t ready to talk to Logan again, expecting at best a response and at worst the Silent Treatment. As he neared the hut he started to hear voices arguing, most seemingly panicked about something to do with the crops and fishing. As soon as he entered the hut, the conversation died down, his eyes meeting the disapproving gaze of his father.<br/>“I know a way we can fix the island! We just need to sail past the reef and put the heart back!” All the villagers stayed quiet as the dead silent Chief stood up, his gaze still fixed on his son. “And I know you’re asking yourself: and how would we do that, Patton? And it’s simple! There’s a large cave filled with immense canoes, we can just take one and use it to sail across the sea!”<br/>Logan walked past Patton, not even batting an eye as Patton staggered back, almost falling from his father’s force. He freaked as he realized his father stayed silent, something that never meant anything good. He spun on his heels as he ran after Logan, his eyes scanning ahead of him as his father walked through the same trail he had just come back from. The older man only stopped to grab a torch off of one of the poles, quickly continuing his journey. “Where are you going, Fa- Logan?”<br/>“I knew I should have burned those canoes the day I had the chance.” He ignored Patton, his free hand tightening into a fist.<br/>“What?” Patton exclaimed, trying to hold his father back with his only free hand. “You can’t do that! I need them to navigate past the reef to deliver the heart!”<br/>“This isn’t a heart!” His father yelled, turning around to grab the heart in his free hand. He pulled it out of Patton’s grasp, making the poor boy panic. “This is just a rock!” He whirled toward the sea, his hand already raised as if he was about to throw the heart before a horn blew. Valerie came running out one of the shelters, one hand raised to wave both Patton and Logan over.<br/>“Chief! It’s your father!” This made Logan drop the torch and the heart, his eyes watering as he ran towards the girl. Patton was only a footstep behind, being delayed by having to grab the fallen heart, his pulse drumming against his ears. What did Valerie mean with “it’s your father!” What was wrong with Janus?<br/>His legs practically burned, feeling like he walked on glass shards due to all the strenuous physical activity and pain Patton had to go through. That didn’t deter him though, his determination to see what happened to his grandfather fueling his aching muscles. When he arrived at the structure’s opening, he was alarmed to see his eldest family member laid down on the ground, a wet rag on his forehead as he breathed shallowly. Janus then opened his eyes, spotting his grandson and smiling a bit. Patton took deliberately slow step forwards, trying to compose himself as to not break down in front of everyone. “Grandpa?”<br/>“Hey, Moonlight.” His voice was weak and lacking his usual intelligence. This time it held sorrow, grief, and most sadly, pity. It felt like the whole weight of a mountain settled on Janus’ chest, but he did not give up talking, still wishing to speak to his grandson one more time. The aforementioned grandson finally arrived at his side, kneeling next to him as their hands instantly held one another, an indescribable amount of pain held behind Patton’s framed eyes. “You need to go.”<br/>“I can’t go. Not right now, with you like this.” Patton answered, raising his grandfather’s hand to his cheek, allowing the elder to cradle it for a moment.<br/>“You must, Patty-cake. The ocean chose you. You need to go to the sword’s edge.”<br/>“Grandpa-“<br/>“You’re going to get to Roman, grab him by the ear and say: “I, am Patton, of Motunui. You will board my boat, sail across the sea and restore the heart of Virgil.”” He spoke softly, smiling as Patton leaned their foreheads together, the rag having fallen off long ago.<br/>“I- I can’t leave you.” His voice was extremely strained, breaking in the middle of sentences, but Patton paid it no mind. Why would he care about his voice when his grandfather was right in front of him, dying?<br/>“There’s nowhere you could go that I wouldn’t be with you.” The sickly man let his hand fall back down, too exhausted to be able to do much. He shakily reached up, undoing the clasp of the jewelry that hung around his neck. He made a great effort to put it around Patton’s neck before he let his right hand fall to Patton’s right one, softly grabbing the heart. His left one was working to open the cavity of the necklace, where he gently placed the heart. “Go.”<br/>He could barely keep his eyes open as Patton nodded, placing one last kiss on his forehead before getting up, leaving the ill elder on the ground. When his grandson finally disappeared from his sight, he closed his eyes, letting out his last soft breath as life started escaping his body. He could finally rest now that he knew Patton would save the island.<br/>“I’ll see you soon, dear.” Was his last thought before everything went black.</p>
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